Imagine what life would be like if you couldn’t recognise your own family and friends unless they told you who they were.

Now imagine no-one will believe you and that even your doctor dismisses you, saying everyone forgets names sometimes.

Two recent studies show this is a common experience for people with a brain disorder called developmental prosopagnosia — or as it is more informally known, face blindness.

This type of prosopagnosia is lifelong, in contrast to acquired prosopagnosia, which can develop after a brain injury.